Is Zealandia the eighth continent
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Scientists have recently completed the mapping of Zealandia, a land mass in the Pacific that would qualify as a continent, except it is almost entirely underwater.
If a land mass under the ice can be considered a continent, why not a land mass underwater?
Quote: JohnzimboNot one of my favorite Ben Stiller flicks
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Blue steel
Quote: JoemanOxymorons aside, if we count an underwater land mass as a continent, then isn't the earth just one big continent?
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No. If you include Zealandia, eight land masses meet the definition of a continent. Excluding one that is under water, but including one that is under frozen water doesn't make sense.
Quote: rxwineIf it is ever reasonable to live under the ocean on more than a temporary basis, that will open up a lot of land for homesteaders.
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Is living underwater very different from living in Antarctica now? Do we recognize one uninhabitable land mass but reject the other?
When I was a kid, it was obvious that Africa and South America were once part of the same land mass, but science said otherwise. Only in recent years has the theory of a supercontinent that broke into seven parts been accepted. Now, it seems like the eighth part has been discovered.
Quote: unJonGoogle searching indicates that if all the ice in Antatica melted there would still be a substantial land mass above sea level. Billryan, is that in dispute? If not, then I think 7 continents stands up to logical definition still.
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If all the ice in Antarctica was to melt, what would it do to current sea levels? As I understand it, Zealandia, or at least the southern portion of the land mass, was dry land until rising sea levels ruined some of the best beaches on the planet.
There is no one definition of a Continent. Political considerations divided the Eurasian land mass into two separate ones because the Urals separated them. Still, then India was included in the Asian continent despite the mountains that separated it and the Earth's plates from the rest of Asia.
But there is still the point that at current sea levels, Antarctica has bedrock above sea level.
The most interesting thing I found in researching this was that humans didn't inhabit New Zealand until the 1300s AD. It's believed to be the last place on earth that humans inhabited.
Quote: billryan...
The most interesting thing I found in researching this was that humans didn't inhabit New Zealand until the 1300s AD. It's believed to be the last place on earth that humans inhabited.
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Bermuda. That was discovered and named by Spanish but not inhabited until the British seized it and used it as a naval base. No sign of even prehistoric habitation.
There are a few other islands that have no available surface water, so they couldn't be inhabited for more than a few days until someone showed up with the ability to drill deep wells. Aruba is almost like that, with only a couple of natural wells that might be able to support a camp. Now they are totally dependent on desalination.
Quote: DieterUnderwater is a touch warmer, I think.
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Apparently the gods don't want us to live underwater.
It wasn't part of the Flying spaghetti monsters intelligent design.
Else there would be a human species with gills.
Unless the illuminati liked them all and hushed it up?
Edit:
Killed.
Geez Swype keyboard
Quote: unJonFair points.
But there is still the point that at current sea levels, Antarctica has bedrock above sea level.
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So build a statue/art sculpture on it to break the water plain?
Quote: 100xOddsQuote: DieterUnderwater is a touch warmer, I think.
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Apparently the gods don't want us to live underwater.
It wasn't part of the Flying spaghetti monsters intelligent design.
Else there would be a human species with gills.
Unless the illuminati liked them all and hushed it up?
Edit:
Killed.
Geez Swype keyboard
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Breathing underwater is admittedly not without challenges. ;)
Quote:During Hurricane Gordon in 1994, a crew of scientists and divers had to evacuate Aquarius and climb up a rescue line to the surface in 15-foot (4.6 m) seas after one of the habitat's generators caught fire.[9][10] In 1998, Hurricane Georges nearly destroyed Aquarius, breaking a joint in one of its legs and moving two 8,000-pound (3,600 kg) weights on the wet porch nearly off the structure. Both Hurricane Georges and Hurricane Mitch, later in 1998, also destroyed way stations outside Aquarius used to refill aquanauts' scuba tanks.[9] In 2005, Hurricane Rita broke two of the habitat's seabed anchors and moved one end of Aquarius by twelve feet (3.7 m).[9][11] In 2017, Hurricane Irma ripped the habitat's 94,000-pound (43,000 kg) life support buoy from its moorings and blew it 14 miles (23 km) away to the Lignum Vitae Channel, as well as damaging the underwater living quarters and wet porch area.[12] As of 2008, no scientists or staff members had been injured at Aquarius due to storms.
Quote: rxwineThere has been an underwater lab off Florida 68ft underwater for 38 years.
Quote:During Hurricane Gordon in 1994, a crew of scientists and divers had to evacuate Aquarius and climb up a rescue line to the surface in 15-foot (4.6 m) seas after one of the habitat's generators caught fire.[9][10] In 1998, Hurricane Georges nearly destroyed Aquarius, breaking a joint in one of its legs and moving two 8,000-pound (3,600 kg) weights on the wet porch nearly off the structure. Both Hurricane Georges and Hurricane Mitch, later in 1998, also destroyed way stations outside Aquarius used to refill aquanauts' scuba tanks.[9] In 2005, Hurricane Rita broke two of the habitat's seabed anchors and moved one end of Aquarius by twelve feet (3.7 m).[9][11] In 2017, Hurricane Irma ripped the habitat's 94,000-pound (43,000 kg) life support buoy from its moorings and blew it 14 miles (23 km) away to the Lignum Vitae Channel, as well as damaging the underwater living quarters and wet porch area.[12] As of 2008, no scientists or staff members had been injured at Aquarius due to storms.
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It seems that they may not have built that in the ideal location…
